MEISENHEIMER, N.C. – Jevon Patton tallied 15 of his team-high 19 points in the second half as Pfeiffer posted an 82-74 victory over Brevard in men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Merner Gym.
The Tornados, who knocked down 15-of-25 (60%) from the floor in the opening half, began the second half with a 44-33 advantage. A free throw by Cannon Lamb quickly bumped that lead to 12, but five points over the next 1:38 by Eric Ambrosio allowed Pfeiffer to pull within five, 45-40.
Patton followed with with a series of free throws, slicing the margin to three, but a trey by JaMarquis Johnson allowed Brevard to move back in front by six. After trading shots from long distance, Pfeiffer put together a 6-0 run that led to a 51-all deadlock with 12:41 remaining.
The Falcons hot streak continued as they scored nine of the next 10 points, highlighted by five points from Patton, to forge ahead by eight, 60-52. Demari Hopper and Stevie Williams answered with points for the Tornados, but six points off the hand of Ambrosio allowed Pfeiffer to establish a 72-57 advantage.
Johnson and Levi Lamb took over the Brevard offense, combining for 11 of the team's 14 points, as the Tornados pulled within eight. However, Patton came through with a free throw and Craig Sabb added a layup over the final 1:08 of the game to complete the eight-point victory.
Joining Patton among double figure scorers were Ambrosio (16) and Brian Harper (13). The Falcons (15-3) overcame a difficult shooting first half, where they managed just 12-of-32 (37.5%) from the floor, to finish 17-of-28 (60.7%) in the second and 29-of-60 (48.3%) from the field in the game.
Williams was the sparkplug for the Brevard offense with 20 points, hitting 7-of-15 from the floor, 3-of-4 from 3-point range and 3-of-7 at the charity stripe. Johnson finished with 18 points, scoring 15 from beyond the arc as he finished 5-of-10, followed by Levi Lamb (16 points) and Qadhafi Turner (15).
The Tornado (4-14) defense put together an impressive performance, becoming just the second team this season (Maryville) to hold Pfeiffer under 100 points in a game. Brevard forced nine steals in the contest, receiving two each from Hopper, Turner and Levi Lamb.
Brevard's offense found its rhythm at just over the midway point of the first half when Turner hit a jumper following a pass from Ke'Vel Kingsberry, giving the Tornados a 10-9 lead. That lead eventually grew to five after a pair of 3-pointers by Williams and Johnson, but a brief run by the Falcons made for a 17-16 contest.
Leading 23-19 at the 7:47 mark, Turner converted a 3-pointer on a pass from Cannon Lamb, kick starting a 10-2 run for Brevard that was capped off by a trey from Johnson. The Tornados' outside shooting combination of Johnson and Levi Lamb knocked down a trio of 3-pointers over the final 3:03 of the half to provide Brevard with a double-digit lead at the intermission.
Brevard continues the weekend stretch with a clash in Greensboro with The Pride on Sunday, Feb. 4 that is set for 3 p.m.